Harvesting machine



F. W. T. ZOEPKE HARVESTING MACHINE May 20 1924.

Original Filed Feb. 18

1927 5 Sheets-Sheet l in, l

l N VEN TOR. FZoe/U@ v D ad ATTORNEYS.

1927' 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 20 1924- F.7W. T. ZOEPKE HARVESTING MACHINE original Filed Feb. 18

May 2o, 1924. 1,494,522

F. W. T. ZOEPKE HARVESTING MACHINE Original Filed Feb. 18 19'22 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 BY @gn 2 2 5, 4 9 4, l E K P E O z T. W F.

May 20 1924.

HARVESTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 original Filed Feb. 18 1927 hihi. I.

INVENTOR. Fmyg@ 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 May s F. W. T. ZOEPKE HARVESTING MACHINE Original Filed Feb. 18 192? I Patented .May 20, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT ori-*ica Enma wir. T. zonrxn, or GREAT FALLS, MONTAA.

HARVESTING MeermanA Application ld February 18, 1922, Serial No. 587,519. Renewed Karak 26, 1924.

T all 'whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED WILLIAM T. ZOEPKE, a citizen 0f the United States, residing at Great Falls in the county of Cascade and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harvesting Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawin s.

Thisinvention relatesto a thras ing or harvesting machine, and the object of the invention is the rovision of means for efciently separating the ain -from the straw, and depositing the t ashed, cleaned grain in a compartment of the machine.

With this and other objects in view, my invention comprises certain novel combinations, constructions and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more articularly pointed out in the appended) claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view, in side elevation, of the lefthand side of the machine.

Figure 2 is-a View, in side elevation, of the righthand-side of the machine.

Figure 3 is a top. plan view of the nia-- chine.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, sectional view of the machine, showing the toothed conveyor in elevation, taken on line 4 4,-

igure 4 is a fragmentary, longitudinal, sectional view of the machine, taken on line 4, Fig. 3. Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the machine showing in elevation the straw pick-up device, taken on line 5 5, Fig. 4.

Figure 6 is a lview in elevation of one of the picker members.

Figure 7 is a fragmentaryl view of the machine, showing in perspective the strawn shaking device.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the grain-screening device.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary, sectional view of one of the screens of the grain-screening device, taken on line 9-9, Fig. 8.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of the machine showin in elevation the hulling roller, taken on line 10-10, Fig. 4a.

Referring to thedrawings by numerals, 1 designates the main casing of the machine,

whichjs supported upon a suitable carria e including t e front and the rear whee s, common to a harvesting or thrashing machlne. The casing 1 is provided with a forwardly-extending portion 2 in which the toothed, grain conveyor 3 is positioned. Upon the lower end of the extension 2, of the casing 1, is journalled a crank shaft 4, this shaft being carried by the brackets 5, F ig. 5, and the shaft 4 is driven through the medium of a sprocket wheel 6, upon which 1s mounted chain 7 (Figs. 2 and 3) which chain 1s also carried by sprocket wheel 8; the sprocket wheel 8 is fastened to shaft 9 of the toothed conveyor 3, and as the conveyor 3 is driven through the medium of the ordinary gearing carried on the side of the casing 1, connected to the rear axle, I am not specifically describing this gearing. On the crank shaft 4 are a plurality of picker members 10. Each picker member includes hub 11, arm 12 and tooth 13. The arms 12 extend into the guiding cket 14 (Fig. 4) of the casing and prevent t e picker member from moving too far out of place, keeping the picker members in position for picking up the straw as the machine passes over the ground, raising the straw, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 4, until the straw is taken up by the toothed conveyor. The teeth 13 of the pick-up device, clean the ground of the straw and hold the straw against the teeth of the conveyor 3, allowing the teeth to gather up the straw of the teeth 13.0f the picker 'members 10, making a very clean operation for permittingthe machine to gather up thex cut straw and take it into the machine. It is to be undei-stood that the grain cut is preferable left in rows on the ground andthe pickup device takes the straw, in a row, or rows, and forces it against the toothed conveyor 3. n

' From the conveyor 3, the straw is discharged against the hulling roller 15, which roller is driven continually through the medium of motor 16 (Fig. 4a), this motor being connected by chain 17 to the s rocket wheel 18 of the hulling roller 15, ig. 10. The hulling roller is provided'in its surface with spirally-arranged parallel grooves 19, which allow the seed, or. grain, to be received as the straw is crushed, without crushing the grain or seed.

From the hulling roller 15, the grain and by the slats 22,

straw is discharged onto the straw-shakin device 20.

e straw-shaking device 20 is mounted above a grain-receivmg compartment 21 in the casing 1 of the machine. The strawshaking device comprises a plurality of parallel slats 22, constituting a rack for receiving the straw. The slats 22 are vmounted on a shaft 23 at their outer ends and at their inner ends they are mounted on shaft 24. These shafts 23 and 24 have crank ends 25 (Fig. 7 allowing the rack, constltuted to have a forward and backward movement, as the wheel 26 is rotated by means of belt 27 driven through the medium of the chain and gear connected to the rear axle mounted upon the side of the casing 1,'Fig. 2. On each slat 22 are u standmg pins 28; these pins 28 are slight y inclined toward the rear end of the casing 1.- Communicating with the rear end of the straw-shaking device is discharge spout 29.

Suspended by a link, or chain connection 30,

from the slats 22, is a sheet of metal, constituting a pan 31, upon which the grain .drops from the straw, as the straw passes toward the discharge end of the casing, the grain assing downward on this inclined pan and Eeing discharged upon the grain-screening device 32. It will be noted that this movement of the straw-shaking device slightly rearward and then forward will create movement of the straw toward the rear end of the casing 1 and at the same time `the pan 31 will be continuously shaken to shift the grain falling thereon continuously towar the grainflscreening device 32, While the machine is in'operation.

The grain-screening device 32 comprises a plurality of screens 33, ofl similar construction, except that the top screen is of larger mesh thanthe middle screen and the middle screen is of larger mesh than the lowest screen. The screens are pivotally mounted on vertical supporting-bars 34. and by means of pins 35, the screen device 32 is pivotally 'supported upon the casing 1. Rods 36 are pivotally connected at one end to some of the bars 34, and these rods 36 are also connected to Wheels 37 within the casin 1, Fig. 4a; I make no claim to thi` speci c connection of the rods 36. as any ordinary means for shaking the screening device 32 may be employed foi-'operating the rods 36. Each screen 33 is provided with downwardly and inwardly-extending ends 33a so that the air from the fan 38, Fig. 4, will be forced down close to the top of the two lower screens for blowingthe chaff or dirt oi the grain; the speed of the .up from the portion/11, Fig. 4, by the screw conveyor 42, Fi 1, and thence discharged lat the upper en of the conveyor into the compartment 21 of the casing 1. By means of a door 43, the grain may be removed from the compartment 21.

While I have'described the preferred embodiment of my invention, and have illus- -trated the same inthe accompanying dravvings, certain minor changes or alterations may appear to one skilled in the art lto which this invention relates, during the extensive manufacture of the Asame and I,

therefore, reserve the right to make such alterations or Jchanges as shall fairly` fall within the scope of the appended claims. What I'claim is:

The grain droppmgA 1. In a machine of the class described, the

combination withv a casing, of a toothed conveyor carried by sald casing, a pair of brackets attached, to said casing, a crank shaft journalled upon said brackets, said casing being provided near the shaft with a guiding pocket, a plurality of picker members loosely mounted upon the lcrank shaft,

each picker member being provided with a tooth and with an arm, the arms of the picker members extending into said guiding pocket, and means for operating the picker members and the conveyor for causing the picker members to lift cut grain or straw from off the ound and brin it in contact with the toot ed conveyor an thence cause the toothed conveyor to discharge the stra-W into the machine.

2. In a machine of the class described, l.

the combination with a casing, of a conveyor carried by said casing, a crank shaft contiguous to said casing, means journaling said crank shaft v.upon said casing, said casing being provided near said shaft with guiding means, a` picker device loosely mounted upon said crank shaft, said picker device provided with means engaging said guiding means, and means operating said picker device and the conveyor for causing thel picker device to lift cut grain orA straw from oi' the ground to bring it in contact with said conveyor and thence cause the conveyor to discharge the straw into the machine.

In testimony whereof I hereuntoaiiix my unsA 

